But the head coach – who insists he “absolutely” still believes in the blueprint at St James’s Park – still feels he is still the right man to revive United’s fortunes after years of relegation battles.

Asked if he had considered walking away, he said: “No, no.

“Absolutely, I knew this was tough, and for all the comments from other people, we knew it was going to be tough. We all did.

“It’s about turning it around and it’s a long process. And a painful one at times. I don’t like watching my teams performing like they did last week.

“That was painful to watch. What I like to do is get out on to the training field and do something about it.”